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Odin
Odin begins The Apples of Idunn as the new jarl of the Wodanar Ás tribe, following the murder of Borr by Ymir. Odin is driven by a need for vengeance over the death of his father, which over time begins to consume him. This need is both tempered and exacerbated by his need to protect first his tribe, then all Aesir, then all life on Earth. He becomes obsessed with finding a way to delay or win Ragnarok, and to these ends, is able to justify almost any action. The Apples of Idunn During The Apples of Idunn ''Odin appears as a muscular man in his early twenties. He has long blond hair he sometimes ties in a ponytail and generally wears no beard. At this time he generally dresses in thick furs. He embarks on a quest to avenge his father, seeking aid from Loki. After the man helps him succeed, Odin names Loki his blood-brother. Following this quest, he finds himself sent on any even more perilous one, to retrieve the Singasteinn from the Niflungar or be cursed by a ghost. However, his original quest has endangered Ve, on whose behalf Odin accepts a bargain from Idunn. She offers him apples of immortality. In exchange Odin must make himself King of the Aesir and then complete a later, unnamed favor for her. In the course of fulfilling his oath, Odin earns the wrath of the Niflungar by spurning their princess Gudrun and killing the prince, Guthorm. Odin fails to return the Singasteinn in time, and the ghost curses him. Despite this, he makes himself King of the Aesir. Idunn then demands he challenge his own gods, her people—the Vanir. ''The Mists of Niflheim Odin leads his people in a march across Midgard, coming into conflict with many forces, including Volsung and his mortal allies. Later, they are beset by draugar sent by the Niflungar. Finally, the Niflungar unleash trolls upon him, including his own brother Ve. Odin cannot bring himself to fight Ve with his full heart, and is thus captured by Gjuki. The Raven Lord tortures Odin, sending his spirit into the Astral Realm. Odin survives this by feeding on astral energies and bonding a wraith, a feat that dramatically ages him. After this he looks like a weathered old man with long gray hair and a long gray beard. He takes to wearing travelers’ clothes such as a cloak and a wide-brimmed hat. Gudrun rescues him from the Astral Realm, but he spurns her once again, and returns to his people. This leads her to foreswear her love for him. Odin kills Ve, then ultimately overcomes Grimhild and drives her off. The Shores of Vanaheim Odin sets out on his own to scout Vanaheim before bringing his people. Here he meets Eostre, Idunn’s mother, who introduces him to Freyja. Odin soon falls for Freyja as she trains him in the Art. Their courtship is interrupted by the Aesir invading Vanaheim, and war begins. Unable to stop the war, Odin realizes the answers he seeks lie between life and death. He goes to Yggdrasil but is forced to fight and kill Njord. Then he hangs himself from Yggdrasil, above the Well of Urd, for nine days. In the liminal space he encounters the dragon Nidhogg and realizes how tenuous reality really is. However, he also learns he is Naresh, reincarnated, and that he has been many men down through the ages. He returns to life realizing what he has to do. He sends Tyr to get Idunn and Freyja off Vanaheim, then evokes a terrible ritual to banish the Vanir to Alfheim, as they had done to their own First Ones. Tyr fails to save Freyja and Idunn, but Odin cannot abort the spell. He is heartbroken at her loss. Finally, to punish Volsung and accomplish his own later aims, Odin drives Gramr into the man’s tree as a manipulation. The High Seat of Asgard Odin is obsessed with finding a way back to Freyja. He thinks he has found it with Andvari’s Gift, a ring that would let him travel between worlds. He nearly claims it, only to have dvergar take it back and extract an oath from him never to act against them. Unable to go after it himself or send his own people, Odin then takes to manipulating the Volsung line. He aids Sigmund in his quest for vengeance, knowing sooner or later he can use the man to recover the ring. In the mean time, Odin has Volund forge both the hammer Mjölnir, and the High Seat of Asgard. This High Seat allows Odin to look out across all the realms. While the smith forges this seat, Odin hunts down and kills Gjuki, claiming the man’s ravens for himself.